On flimsy raincoats and storms

Churchmen denounce free condom distribution

Bishops want Cabral’s head over condoms

Teodoro backs DoH chief in condom row vs Catholic Church

DoH intensifies condom program to stop HIV-AIDS
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Time and again, whenever the issue of contraceptives hits the public sphere with an uproar, we can be sure that familiar tunes ring out. Separation of Church and State. Relative morality. Common "good".

Thus, recently appointed DOH Secretary Esperanza Cabral states:

“We are not a religious state, such as Iran. We are a secular state where there is separation of church from state,” she pointed out.

You see, whenever the church speaks out on governance issues with a moral dimension, there comes the howls of separation of church and state. Nothwithstanding that the principle of separation is basically a prohibition to the state and not a prohibition for the church to speak out on moral issues in which it has a pastoral duty to do so.

Cabral emphasized that “while it is very important for us to find out what they think, to cooperate with them in areas where we can be cooperating with, the government is the government and must do what it thinks is right for everybody.”

Same thing. The church is the church and it must do its pastoral duty, which is also a right. Freedom of expression by the way.

"Not everybody in the Philippines belongs to one church,” she also stressed.

And for good measure, not everybody understands what it means to belong to the Church. I am not sure if Secretary Cabral is Catholic, much less knows how to act like one in public. She talks about "cooperating (with the church) in areas", but for one thing, the moral theology with respect to formal cooperation with evil seems to have been lost on her.

At the same time, Cabral said they would always be "willing to discuss and negotiate (with Catholic Church officials).”

I wonder what she means, negotiate. Probably negotiate with the Church officials that a few key doctrines might be swept under the rug?

During the past two months, HIV-AIDS cases have “gone up to four persons diagnosed (with the disease) every day.”...

"We really need to do something about it,” Cabral said.

Of course. Still, the sure-fire method of staying safe and dry is to get out of the rain, rather than putting on a flimsy raincoat and braving the storms.
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